Raspberry Tart Terror (Murder in the Mix Book 30) Unknown (christmas read aloud .TXT) 📖

not even aware of, or at least I hope not. It’s that cute fuzzy little koala named Teddy dangling from her neck.

“Lottie!” She laughs as she makes her way over. “Can you believe this circus? If anything, this book signing has put Head over Heels on the map.”

“Hello, Lottie,” Teddy trills in her high-pitched voice as she swings from Sugar’s neck. “I’ve had the best time with my sweet girl. Did you know I could eat?” There’s a touch of surprise in her voice, as there should be. I’m not sure why, but the abilities of the dead are somehow tied to the growth of my own abilities.

The dead weren’t always able to eat in my neck of the spiritual woods. In fact, I couldn’t even hear them in the beginning, but as my powers grew so did theirs, and soon they could talk, move objects in the material world, and now they can nosh on anything to their heart’s content. I don’t quite know what happens to the food once they gobble it down, but then I suppose there are some things that are simply not my business.

Mom sighs as she shakes the cookie box for crumbs. “Too bad this isn’t putting me on the map.”

“Oh, Miranda,” Sugar wails. “How about I make it up to you? I’ll host just you on another night and that way you’ll get the entire spotlight all to yourself.”

“That’s my Sugar.” Teddy gives Sugar a strangulating hug. “Always kindhearted to everyone she meets. How I’ve missed her.”

I’d have to agree. She does seem kindhearted.

“I suppose.” Mom doesn’t look convinced. “On second thought, I’d better not. It’s humiliating enough to have an empty table with two other popular authors next to me. But I couldn’t bear an empty table with a shop full of customers. I don’t think my ego can handle any more torment.” She looks as if she’s about to put her head down on her desk just as her eyes widen. “Lainey, Meg!” She springs from her seat as both of my sisters make their way over to her.

Lainey has Josie in her arms and Meg looks like the biker chick she is with her mop of long dark hair, her eyes ringed heavily with kohl, and equally dark lipstick smeared over her lips.

Sugar tosses her hands in the air. “Looks as if she found a couple of fans after all.”

“Two of her biggest fans. Those are my sisters.” I shrug over at Sugar. “But at least she’s happy now. There’s nothing worse than seeing someone you love suffering.”

“I’ll say.” Her lips flicker. “It was horrible watching Verity the other night writhe around in pain that way. You know, a female detective stopped by this afternoon and let me know that Verity didn’t pass from natural means.”

“You don’t say.” I do my best to sound surprised as the sound of lively conversation picks up all around us. “What did she say she died from?”

“Botulism.”

My mouth rounds out as I have at my second attempt to feign surprise. But I already knew that bit about the botulism. Noah told Everett and Everett told me. It was sort of a murderous game of telephone we were playing.

“That must be why they tested my bakery this morning,” I tell her. “But they cleared me to open up this afternoon, so I’m guessing they didn’t find anything.”

Teddy swings a furry arm my way with her button eyes and elongated velvety nose.

“Is that so?” the tiny terror trills. “I’ll be sure to stop by right after. I’ve had a hankering for those raspberry tarts ever since I had one the night Mean Verity bit the big one.”

Did she just call her Mean Verity?

Huh.

Verity obviously loved Teddy or she wouldn’t be here, but it breaks my heart that Teddy might have been mistreated in her care.

“I’m glad about that.” Sugar gives a pained smile. “I’ll be honest, I hesitated going that way after the detective told me about the poisoned dessert. But you can bet I’ll be there tomorrow. Those raspberry tarts were to die for!” She gasps at her own oversight. “Please excuse me. That was a terrible thing to say. Anyway, Detective Fairbanks—that’s the woman who was essentially grilling me—she all but accused me of somehow landing that botulism in Verity’s stomach. I guess she thinks someone laced her food with it. Or I suppose it could have been a drink, or even her lipstick. I have no idea how that works. But do you want to know the kicker?”

“What’s that?” I turn my ear her way as if the better to hear her.

“She said she found one of my bangles in the snow next to a half-eaten raspberry tart. Apparently, they were able to identify Verity’s shoe prints in the snow. There were other shoe prints there as well, but they were too muddled for them to pin anything on me. Can you imagine? She all but told me I wouldn’t be getting away with it.”

Leave it to Ivy to ruin my investigation. Everyone with half a brain knows you don’t go around accusing a suspect until you have hard evidence that they’re the killer. For all she knows, Sugar could leave the country tomorrow, and if she really is the killer, then Verity’s case will never get the justice it deserves.

“What did you tell her?” I lean in. “How did the bracelet get out there?”

Teddy looks my way. “Oh, she takes them off all day. It’s a bit of a habit I’m finding out.”

“Nervous habit,” Sugar confirms even though she didn’t hear Teddy. “I pluck them on and off nonstop. I’ve done it for as long as I can remember. That’s half the reason I wear these things. I need something to fidget with to keep me calm.” She gives the jewelry on her arm a quick jostle, and I note that not one of them even comes close to sliding off her hand. In fact, it looks as if she’d have to